"Huh, Xiao Yan, why are you here?" Minato asked, puzzled.
He stopped, while his two Shadow Clones continued their tree climbing training.
"Woo •︡ ᯅ •︠" Chimchar jumped up and down, trying to reenact the previous scene with its actions.
"You mean, Hayato and Kushina left together, leaving you here to train?"
Minato guessed Chimchar's meaning.
So that's it.
Minato felt a surge of excitement. Hayato, since you're not training, I'll double my training during the time you and Kushina are on your date.
He hadn't forgotten his Hokage dream.
…
Silence.
Still silence.
Kushina could feel her palms sweating slightly, and her face was burning as if on fire. Even so, she didn't pull her hand from Hayato's, but just walked quietly beside him.
Uchiha Hayato was a little nervous. He had mustered the courage to take the first step, but he wasn't sure what to do next.
The atmosphere was very silent at the moment, and he wondered if he should say something to break the quiet.
"Oh, Kushina, that ramen shop ahead is where Minato and I often eat." Uchiha Hayato looked up at the familiar scenery, feeling a little more relaxed. Although it wasn't Ichiraku Ramen, the ramen here was also quite good. He often came here when he was too lazy to cook.
"Actually, when it comes to introducing Konoha to you, I don't even know where to begin." Once he opened up, Hayato regained his composure. "By the time I came to my senses, I was already a second-year student."
"Even though I've lived here for so long." Uchiha Hayato looked up, reminiscing. "How about I tell you about my childhood?"
Aren't we still children now? Kushina didn't argue, but listened to Hayato's story.
"When I was three years old, my parents died on an outdoor mission. I remember, I cried once then, and after that, I didn't feel anything anymore." Hayato chose his words carefully. "The Village and the Family both take care of orphans who lose their parents. Someone in the Family wanted to adopt me, but I refused. I didn't want to burden others, and I could take care of myself."
"The Family saw my firm attitude and had no choice but to agree to let me live alone. It was after that that I met Minato."
Kushina felt a pang of sadness and wanted to hug him tightly. She knew the feeling of losing loved ones all too well, yet Hayato spoke about it so lightly, as if it didn't concern him.
"Everyone dies. When will I die?" Hayato shook his head slightly. "At that time, I had this mindset, spending every day either skipping stones by the river or lying at home all day."
"Until one day, I met Minato fishing by the river. He shared his grilled fish with me. We were both war orphans, so why was Minato so optimistic?"
Uchiha Hayato smiled. He, of course, knew Minato's future. Minato knew his own end and willingly died. The young him might not have had that resolve, but the grown Minato was definitely a person with his own firm beliefs.
The soul from another world made him unwilling to yield; even if he were to die, he would burn brightly before his death.
"At that time, we only knew each other. He didn't even know my name. It wasn't until we entered school that we officially became friends."
"Not long before you arrived, I discovered I had a different talent." His tone became confident. "If I rely on this power, I might be able to fulfill my wish, to live happily with everyone, and not die in war."
"Kushina, you might be my lucky angel."
Kushina pulled her hand from Hayato's, turned his body, and said with a serious expression, "Then you promise me that you will never die in the future. Both you and I, in the name of a lucky angel."
When she said "lucky angel," Kushina was a bit shy; that phrase was truly too embarrassing.
"Okay, I promise you, I will absolutely, absolutely never die." Hayato stood still, unable to help but laugh aloud, letting Kushina hold his shoulders.
"Pinky promise!"
"Alright, alright, pinky promise."
It was clearly a children's game, but Kushina's expression was incredibly serious, infecting Hayato and making him lose his playful mood.
"Kushina, I've told you about my past, isn't it your turn now?"
Behind them, Yakushi Nonou had just emerged from an alley. Looking at Hayato and Kushina's backs, she pushed up her glasses.
Are these two on a date?
Yakushi Nonou felt worried for Hyuga Ruri. She could see her friend's feelings for Uchiha Hayato, but Ruri was unwilling to approach him herself. Ruri was at home today, being taught secret family techniques by her elders, so it was up to her, Yakushi Nonou, to protect her friend's feelings.
Yakushi Nonou was very curious what kind of magic Uchiha Hayato possessed to make two girls fall for him at the same time.
Besides being a bit handsome, there was nothing special about him.
With this thought, Yakushi Nonou quietly followed behind the two.
"Me?" Kushina giggled. "The Village I lived in was called Uzushiogakure, and everyone in the Village belonged to one Family."
"I was a genius in the Village, you know. None of my peers were a match for me, and the clan leader and the elders of the Family were all very kind to me," Kushina said with great joy.
"Not long ago, the clan leader suddenly told me that I would soon become a Konoha Ninja."
The girl's speech slowed: "He said that when I arrived in Konoha, someone would take care of me, and there were also people from my Family in Konoha Village, Uzumaki Mito. By age, I could call her Grandma Mito."
Uzumaki Mito, she knew, was the wife of the First Hokage and an ancestor of the Uzumaki Family.
But how could she live with a relative she had never met in an unfamiliar place? The strange looks from the Konoha villagers when she arrived also made her more worried.
Her accustomed red hair had actually become the reason she was seen as an outsider.
The boys in her class were the same, one by one, they mocked her. When she could no longer bear it, someone finally stood up for her.
It was Uchiha Hayato, and he even got into a fight with Dekai and others because of it.
Even though Hayato said he didn't do it specifically for her, in Kushina's eyes, at that moment, only that boy remained.
"I understand, Kushina."
Uchiha Hayato interrupted Kushina's words: "You're no longer alone in Konoha, are you?"
"Don't bring up the past anymore. From now on, you will become my… companion, and live in Konoha Village forever. If anyone mocks your hair, just tell me."
"If you miss Uzushiogakure, we can go back and visit your hometown."
Just a companion? Kushina felt a little dejected, followed by a surge of courage.
This was already considered their first date, and one day, she would make Hayato say, "I love you," himself.
The girl flashed a brilliant smile, her red hair fluttering in the wind.
"Mm!"